CUSD: Dispelling Disinfo with Data

This email will debunk disinformation about CUSD with data. We also include video clips from Jerry Liu, a CUSD trustee who opposed school closure, who shares his experience and goes into more details.

Disnfo #1: CUSD Budget Shortfall? No we have surplus!

The big reason cited for the shutdown of schools was a projected budget shortfall. CUSD’s own projections show that it will end up with a surplus (revenue less expenditure in the table below) of $39.5 Million over the next five years.

Please listen to current board member Jerry Liu who voted against school closure, who tells us that even this year CUSD will have a surplus of $16M!

Savings from closing school campuses? It is like saving 50 cents while we have a $200 budget,, a reminder that the projected savings from closing a school campus was minimal

Then why close schools during a once-in-a lifetime pandemic?

This table is from Page 18 of CUSD Budget Adoption Report 

Disnfo #2: Collapsing Child Population? No Its Stable!

For the past decade, we have been repeatedly being told that CUSD enrollment is declining because the population of children in CUSD is declining.

That is incorrect.

The children population in CUSD has been fairly stable, fluctuating in a narrow band. The overall population is at the same point as it was about a decade ago.

From kidsdata.org

CUSD enrollment though is declining since parents are preferring private schools due to mismanagement by the CUSD board including the deeply unpopular decision to shut down school campuses.

From kidsdata.org

For those interested in more granular analysis, the date from the ACS Survey is available here including age-wise breakdown within the under-18 age-group

The Future is in Your Hands

To reiterate, a lot of disinformation which has been spread in the community, is debunked by data.

Disinfo #1:  CUSD shut Schools because of lack of money

=> No. CUSD is projected to have a $39M surplus over next 5 years

Disinfo #2:. CUSD enrollment is falling because number of Children in CUSD is dropping

=> No. Children population in CUSD is around the same level it was a decade ago

We can only speculate why the coterie of ex-mayors and their protege who they get sponsor via endorsement and campaign finance support misled us. We do know CUSD has hired professional real-estate consultants to evaluate the desirability of CUSD land for investors. 

In order to save our schools, and preserve our home values, it is critical that the City Council of Cupertino opposes any rezoning of school land  and preserves it for public usage. 

VOTE WISELY

To save our schools and preserve home values, please VOTE for Govind Tatachari, Liang Chao, and Steven Scharf for Cupertino City Council, and Darcy Paul, Satheesh Madhathil & Jerry Liu for CUSD Board. They have taken a public stand to keep school closure off the table and roll back the past decisions. They are not funded by external special-interests and will keep the interests of residents foremost.

Please do NOT vote for JR Fruen, Sheila Mohan for Cupertino City Council, and Ava Chiao (CUSD).  They have been supportive of school closure and giving the land to developers, and have strong endorsements from the three CUSD trustees who closed the schools.  They have also receive extensive funding from construction interests, who covet the land our schools stand on, and not signed the City of Cupertino voluntary spending limit on election expenses.

Your fellow neighbors from Cupertino

(Some more videos with Jerry speaking are attached below)